And accordingly the 348 was commissioned into production posthumously, replacing the Ferrari 328 when it went on sale in 1989.

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The 348 was badged 348 TB for the coupe, abbreviated from Trasversale Berlinetta, whilst the targa became the 348 TS – reduced from Trasversale Spider. Remaining in production until 1995, when it was replaced by the F355, 2,894 examples of the 348 TB and 4,228 of the 348 TS were produced.

Following on from the Ferrari 308 and 328 was never going to be an easy task, but when the 348 was launched at the 1989 Frankfurt Auto Show Ferrari clearly had hit the spot once more.

The car’s chunky styling was definitive, sleek and distinctive. In fact, the 348 was arguably the best looking junior supercar of its era, the Pininfarina-designed 348 resembling a baby Testarossa but with softer edges and better proportions.

As seemingly forever in the great Ferrari tradition, so much was down to the wealth of detail. Retractable headlights with new rectangular lenses were fitted. The side-slatted theme continued on the engine cover and tail fascia. At the rear of the 348 rectangular light assemblies were concealed behind a matte black grille in a similar fashion to the Testarossa.

Brightwork was practically non-existent and even the prancing horse logos affixed to either end were matte black. Body colored wing mirrors were mounted on extended stalks. And to improve airflow, the door release catches were mounted flush with the rest of the panels.

And whereas the transition from 308 to 328 had been a comparatively simple revamp, the interior of the 348 was completely new. Leather upholstery was standard, with the legendary Connolly hide covering the seats, door panels, instrument binnacle, lower dash, centre console, transmission tunnel and upper rear bulkhead panel. The upper dash was black vinyl, the headliner made from cloth and the rest of the cockpit carpeted.

Technically, the 348 was more closely related to its big brother Testarossa than the 328. The V8 engine, which had a power output of 300 PS (221 kW; 296 hp), had been turned 90 degrees to be mounted longitudinally and set lower in the chassis – the first time Ferrari featured a mid-engine longitudinal V8 in one of its standard road cars since the 288 GTO. The sweet V8 had been expanded to 3.4-liters and now boasted an additional 30bhp.

It was also coupled to a transverse manual gearbox, the first street Ferrari application of the transverse gearbox design, originally developed for the Ferrari 312 T F1 car. The ‘T’ in the model TB and TS designations references the transverse position of the gearbox, which Ferrari sought to highlight for the model range, celebrating this technical lineage.

If you are serious enough to buy one, we have one right now at Beverly Hills Car Club, a 1989 Ferrari 348 TB featured with 32,234 miles on the odometer. The car comes finished in its factory color Rosso Corsa, gracefully combined with a black interior.

Our Ferrari 348 TB is equipped with a 5-speed manual transmission, fuel-injected V8 engine, Veglia instrumentation, four-wheel disc brakes, quad exhaust outlets, retractable Hella headlights, Carello branded rear/fog lights, louvered tail-lights, a gated shifter, side air intakes, 3-spoke steering wheel, side marker lights, and 17-inch alloy wheels with Yokohama tires. Convenience features include air conditioning, power windows, dual-side mirrors, center console, door pockets, and sun visors.

This example comes with an owner’s manual and a service book, providing history of the care and maintenance.

Italian sports cars are constantly rising in value: this is an excellent opportunity to acquire this highly desirable 348 TB that is mechanically sound.

-Alex Manos, Owner